The Queen concluded her tour of Wales yesterday by meeting a survivor of the Indian Ocean tsunami and learning how Christmas crackers are made.
She was the guest of honour at the international UWC Atlantic College, in Llantwit Major, South Wales, which educates students from more than 90 countries.
The visit was the final engagement of her two-day tour of the principality, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh.
The royal couple were escorted around the grounds of the historic site by a student whose family’s escape from the 2004 tsunami was the inspiration for the 2012 film The Impossible, starring Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts. Spanish international baccalaureate student Tomas Alvarez was on holiday with family in Thailand when disaster struck.
They were rescued from the coastal waters by lifeguards, which inspired the 18-year-old, who said: “I became a lifeguard because of what happened to my family in the 2004 tsunami. We were incredibly lucky to survive, especially my mother who had to undergo 14 operations.
“If it wasn’t for the people who helped us, I don’t know if we would have survived. So I decided to become a lifeguard to give something back.
“Getting to show the Queen around the college was an incredible honour. She is very different from the person you see in the media. She asked a lot of questions from the students here and was really interested in what we do.”
The royal visitors were given a warm Welsh welcome when their Bentley pulled up at the gates of St Donat’s Castle, which dates back to the 12th century.
Earlier in the day, the Queen, who was wearing a light pink dress by Karl Ludwig and a hat by Angela Kelly, and Philip visited stationery firm International Greetings in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, and were given a tour of its factory where they were shown how Christmas crackers are made. The firm makes Christmas cards and decorations and its products are sold across the globe.
Atlantic College, a residential school founded in 1962, follows the international baccalaureate programme.
Its teaches some of the brightest students around the globe – which has seen it being described as “Hogwarts meets the UN” – and aims to promote diversity and peace between nations.
After being greeted by children waving Union flags and meeting local dignitaries, the Queen and Philip were whisked off to the packed main hall.
There, 14 students sang the African song Asimbonaga – which is about late South African president Nelson Mandela, who was made a patron of Atlantic College.